Tank-car.



o. A. SHOBMAKER. TANK GAR.

1,026,710. APPLICATION -FlLEp MAYZG, 1911. Patented Maly 21 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mimi @HNHK c. A. SHOBMAKER.

TANK GAR.

, APPLIOATIQN FILED MAY 2e. 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May 21, 1912.

wlmi

L llll CHARLES A. SHOEMAKER, OF `CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TANK-GAR.

To all whom it may concern:

" Be it known that I, CHARLES A. SHOE- MAKER, .a citizen of the United States, vresiding atC-hicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new land useful Improvement in yTank- Cars, of which the following -is a full, clear,

, concise, and exact description, reference being hadv to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates -to tank car struc-- tures and has for its object'the provision of improved means for opposing endwlse movements'of tanks with respect to the under frames'supporting the same.

In practising my invention gravity is employed for counteracting end thrusting movements oftanks, the tanks beingcaused to rise when the under ,frames supporting the same are subjected to suliicient'blows or pulls to cause the tanks to move longitudinally with respect to the 'under frames. The mechanism which- I prefer to employ ,for permitting the tanks to rise also takes part in' automatically restoring'the tanks to normal positionswith respect to their under frames after the tanks have risen.

A'In the prefer-red embodiment of my in-v Y termined position withr'espect tothe under frame and is forced to climb when the under frame is subjectedto blows or pulls of suf-` icient force to effect relative movement of the tank and under frame. 'In a structure thus devised the rivets that are employed for assembling the tank and under vframe are relieved of effectivev shearing stresses, this being particularly the case when the contacting' surfaces ofthe under' frame and tank arem frictional engagement, the friction then coperating with gravity in opposing endwise movements of the tank with respect to its under frame.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference tothe accompanying'drawings inA whichv Figurel is a side elevation, partially in section, of a tank car structure made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, a part of the structure be- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 26, 1911. l Serial No. 629,676.

ing broken away owing to the lack of space for its illustration; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View of a part of the structure as it appears in Fig-1; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a part of the structure shown in Fig. l but on a larger scale; Fig. 4 is a sectional View on line 4 4 `of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the tank element of the car structure where such element is provided with contacting surfaces for causing the tank'element torise and permitting it to descend; and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the contacting faces provided upon the under frame of the c'ar lstructure for coperation with the contacting surfaces shown in Fig. 5.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures. y

The tank car structure'includes two main elements, one, the tank element and parts attached thereto, and the other,the under frame element and the parts attached thereto and the trucks or vwheels that constitute this under frame a vehicle for supporting the tank. A third element in the organization resides Patented May l', 1912.

in some means for normally holding the ing center sills l l carrying as many saddles urpose of 2 as may be desired for the' carrying'the tank 3 and permitting saidA tank to move longitudinally of the center sills. the Vright hand end of such structure as it appears'in Fig. l, it being understood that a similar saddle is symmetrically disposed at the other end of the structure, its illustration being omitted because of the lack of space. The third element of the structure is preferably in the form of` tank bands 4 that engage the tank 3 and are anchored at their ends to tank band lugs 5 that are se- .cured'to the bottom flanges of the center sills l. The free endsof the tank bands are desirably threaded, as illustrated very clearly'in Fig. 4, for the reception of nuts 6. Heavy springs 7 surround the extremities of the tank bands and are interposed between the lugs 5 and nuts 6. These springs are suiiiciently strong normally firmly tohold the tank down upon its saddles 2, but are adapted to yield when the center sills receive sufficiently strong blows or pulls `to cause the tank to move I have indicated one such saddle 2 atl Y least two friction contacting surfaces that portions of the'center sills.

slope longitudinallyof the entirev structure inv directions that converge from opposite sides of a vertical line located between such Surfaces, these contacting surfaces being de sirably afforded -by the employment of a cast block 8 desirably in the form of a flattened V, this block `8 being preferably cast integrally with a plate 9 that is riveted at its edges to the bottom of the tank 3. The block portion 8 of the casting 8, 9 is desirably so located and is of asize to permit of its entry into the space between the center sills and in effect constitutes a downwardly extending projection upon the bottom of the tank. The under frame element of the tank car is provided with a V-shaped seat 10 formed in the top part of a casting 11 riveted to the center sills, this casting desirably having vertical wings 12 engaging the inner vertical faces of the center sills 1 and horizontal wings 13 that engage the top flanges of the center sills. Fastening rivets are passed through these wings 12 and 13 into the contiguous The V-shaped block 8 has its bottom surfaces sloping in opposite directions toward a vertical line intervening between said surfaces and longitudinally of t-he Ltank and the Seat Surfaces 10, which frictionally engage the bottom of the block 8, desirably slope similarly and at similar angles. Referring to Figs. 1 and r3, it will be seen that the seat faces 10 of the casting 11 are slightly longer, longitudinally .of the tank, than'the engaging surfaces of the` block 8 and that clearance exists between the opposite ends of the block 8 and the contiguous portions of the block 11, whereby the block 8 is permitted to move obliquely upon theblock 11 in either direction toward the ends of the car structure,

such movement of the block' 8 upon the block 11 occurring when the under frame structure receives blows of sufficient force to effect longitudinal movement of the tank upon its supporting under frame. The longitudinal movement of the tank is permitted owing to the fact'that the tank may slide upon its saddles 2. The movement of the block 8 is permitted owing to the yielding connect-ions 7 between the tank bands and the under frame, the connections or Springs 7 permitting the ends of the tank bands to Arise with the tank as the tank'litself rises yowing to the upward movement ofthe block 8v upon the block 11. When the force that lhas caused the upward movement of the tank upon its under frame has been spent, the block 8 will, owing to the action of gravity, settle to its central position upon the block 11 whereby theY normal position of `the tank with respect to the under frame is restored. The restoration of the block 8 to its central position `is aided by the .action of the springsl that coperate with gravity to effect this'result. l

c If desired, stops -14 may be provided upon theunder frames and may. face the outer transverse edges of the block8 for the pursaid block when the under frame yis tsub-= jected to thrusting or pulling strains wit-hin a predetermined range. iWhen this range is exceeded the block 8 engages one or the I other of the stops 14 so as to limit the extent of the longitudinal movement of the tank upon the under frame.

I havek shown but one block 8 and one block 11 which are illustrated as being in the center of the tank car structure. These two blocks 8 and 11 are sufficient when the tank is not of great length or very large capacity. The number of the parts 8 and 11 may be multiplied and be positioned as may be desired to suit `requirements.

While'I have herein shown and particullarly described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construct-ion shown for carrying the invention into effect as obviously many changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A tank car structure including a'tank which may rise from its support; an under frame for supporting the tank and permitting movement of the tank longitudinally thereon the tank and underframe structures having friction faces in lfrictional engagement; and means for forcing the tank to rise tagainst the action of friction when the tank is moved longitudinally of the under frame.

2. A'tank car structure including tank and under frame elements between which relative movement longitudinally ofthe car structure may occur and which tank may rise from the underframe, one of said ele- Vments of thecar structure havinga friction surface sloping with respect to the horizon-V tal and longitudinally of the car structure and which surface is frictionally engaged by the other of said elements of the car structure whereby the tank is caused to rise when it is moved longitudinally of the under frame.

3.A tank car.- Structure including tank and under frame elements between which relative movement longitudinally of the carl 4:. A tank car structure including tankl and under frame elements between which relative movement longitudinally ofV the car' structuremay occur and which` tank mayrise from-the under frame, each of said elements of the car structure having oppositely sloping friction surfaces which are frictionally'engaged by the sloping friction surfaces upon the other element of the car structure, oneset of engaging sloping surfaces being positioned to force the tank to rise when it is moved in one direction fromnormal 'position longitudinally ,of Athe. under frame and the other set of engaging sloping surfaces being positioned to force the .tank to rise when it is moved in the other direction longitudinally of the under frame.

' .5. A tank car structure including a tank which may rise from its support an under -frame for supporting the tank and per-- mittingymovement of the tank longitudinally thereon, the tank and under'framestructur'e's havingfriction faces' in frictional engagement; -meansfor forcing vthe tank to. rise againsty the action of friction whenl the tank is moved longitudinally of the under frame; and means for yieldingly holding the tank ldown upon the under frame.

6L' A tank .ccar structure including tank and under frame elements between which.

relative movement longitudinally of the car 'structure may-occur and-which tank may rise from the under frame,.one of said ele- -ments of the car structure having a` friction surface sloping with respect to the horizontal' and longitudinally of the car structure and which surface is frictionally engaged by the` other of said elements" of the car structure whereby the tank is caused to rise when it .is moved longitudinally of the under frame; yand means for yieldingly holding the tank down upon the under frame.

v7. A tank car'structure including tank and under frame elements between-which relative movement longitudinally of the car st-ructure may occur and which tank may rise from the under frame, one of said elements of the car structure having a friction i surface sloping with respect to the horizontal and longitudinally of the car structure and which surface is -frictionally engaged by .the other of vsaid elements of the car structure whereby the tank is'caused to rise when it' is'moved longitudinally of the under frame; and means for yieldingly holding the tank down-upon the under frame.

8. A tank car structure including tank `and under frame elements between which relative movement longitudinally of the car vstructure may occcur and which tank may rise from the under frame,- the car structure having sloping surfaces which are frictionally engaged to support thetank in different positions, one of said sloping surfaces being positioned to force the tank to rise when it is moved in one direction longitudinally of the under vframe and the other of saidsloping surfaces being positioned to force t-he tank to rise when it is moved in the other direction from normal posit-ion longitudinally of the under frame; and means for yieldingly holding the 'tank down upon the under frame.

9. A tank car structure including tank land under frame elements between which relative movement longitudinally of the car structure may occur and which tank may rise from the under frame, each of said elements of the car structure having oppo- 4sitely sloping surfaces which are frictionally yengaged by the sloping surfacesupon the other element of the car structure, one

set ofengaging sloping surfaces bein'g positioned to force the tank 'to rise when it is moved in one/"direction longitudinally of the under frame and theother set of engaging sloping surfaces being positioned to force the tank to rise when it is moved in the other direction froml normal posit-ion longitudinally of the under frame;l and l means for yieldingly holding the tankdown upon the under frame. 4

In witness whereof, `I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of May A. D., 1911.

I Y CHARLES A. SHOEMAKER. Witnesses: G. L. CRAGG, E. L. WHITE. 

